Following on from ‘Centrelink’ and ‘Drama’, the third taste of Thibault’s forthcoming album Or Not Thibault is perhaps the group’s most subtle effort yet. Where ‘Drama’ had band-leader Nicole Thibault reaffirming her affinity for groove-heavy pop (with that weirdo spark reminiscent of her 90’s cult group Minimum Chips) and ‘Centrelink’ was unexpectedly grandiose, ‘See The World’ is more understated in its delivery, yet all the more evocative.

Set around an arpeggiated keyboard loop that hums radiantly from beginning to end, ‘See The World’ spends its entire three minute duration gradually blooming. Gently at first, with a modest groove that lilts gracefully alongside the swirls of organ, before layers of space-age synthesiser begins to bubble up from underneath, enveloping the track in a balmy glow. Despite the sparse instrumentation, ‘See The World’ feels immersed in a rich and luminous haze, yet Nicole’s vocals aren’t weighed down - instead, they sparkle on top, simultaneously whimsical and pensive.

Speaking about the track, Nicole explains “the song is about wanting to be a part of the world and to be aware of what is happening and stay afloat, but also at some point realising it becomes debilitating and all consuming. It’s healthy to take a step back and regroup, and also focus on ‘good news stories’ as well as the usual bad that tends to dominate.” It’s fitting then that while the soundscape plays like its constantly evolving, Nicole’s performance feels mesmerisingly still, her voice dripping with languor as the instrumentation fluctuates around her before a clear sense of weariness overcomes the track and it peters out.

Accompanying the single release today is a new clip created by Melbourne graphic designer Ashley Goodall. Picking up on the track’s liminal atmosphere, the clip reimagines glimpses of the natural world with hypnotic splashes of colour, yet the footage feels equally washed-out and murky. It’s a stark comment on our relationship with ‘the outside’ at the moment, in a way that’s both confusing but completely compelling.

Ashley elaborates, “right now the outside world seems ambiguous, distorted, and almost alien to me - having sat inside behind my computer for the better part of this year. This video represents those feelings. It is a small window into natural environments unsullied by any presence of the contemporary world. A brief escape to somewhere indistinguishable but nonetheless outdoors. The aim was to create an undistracting visual accompaniment to the song that allows whoever is watching to escape, albeit only briefly - to somewhere else.”